tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8535705633719973060..comments2017-12-13T18:14:23.863-08:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Casting decisions -- good and badKen Levinenoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61099999217467545652017-03-11T08:05:29.561-08:002017-03-11T08:05:29.561-08:00Gary&#39;s comment about athletes &quot;acting&quo...Gary&#39;s comment about athletes &quot;acting&quot; reminds me of Leonard Maltin&#39;s review of &quot;Safe At Home!&quot; with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris: &quot;The stoic poetry of Jack Webb&#39;s acting pales beside that of M &amp; M ...&quot;Alan Christensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10585546156631611352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68031479042256298402017-03-10T15:33:34.443-08:002017-03-10T15:33:34.443-08:00Andrew: Like I&#39;ve already said &quot;I&#39;ve ...Andrew: Like I&#39;ve already said &quot;I&#39;ve never believed a single performance of his&quot; <br /><br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01047175713708724344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57133161809504487552017-03-10T08:34:30.489-08:002017-03-10T08:34:30.489-08:00Hi Ken, I thought one of the most inspired casting...Hi Ken, I thought one of the most inspired casting choices was<br />when Oliver Stone cast John Candy in JFK. His performance was<br />out-sized, no pun intended. <br /><br />Made me think of Sidney Greenstreet, but slimier and more<br />real.<br /><br />Makes you wonder what might have ensued.<br />Terry Benishnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20712175131902232542017-03-10T06:41:47.931-08:002017-03-10T06:41:47.931-08:00@ Unknown re Kevin Spacey:
Wow, couldn&#39;t disag...@ Unknown re Kevin Spacey:<br />Wow, couldn&#39;t disagree with you more. How about L.A. Confidential? Even the death scene alone is incredible (and very believable).Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73392250081977587012017-03-10T01:33:00.919-08:002017-03-10T01:33:00.919-08:00What do you think of the method that directors lik...What do you think of the method that directors like Woody Allen, David Lynch and Christopher Guest employ where they just sit and talk to actors they&#39;re auditioning? They all manage to get great performances. Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55950671130200666142017-03-09T17:49:11.052-08:002017-03-09T17:49:11.052-08:00Friday question:
I&#39;ve noticed that often acto...Friday question:<br /><br />I&#39;ve noticed that often actors who miss out on a starring role in a sitcom later get a big guest role on the same show. On Cheers, Fred Dryer (who lost the role of Sam) was on a few times as a friend of Sam&#39;s who hits on Diane, and Julia Duffy (who lost the role of Diane) had a guest appearance as a friend of Diane&#39;s who hits on Sam.<br /><br />Is this because the producers are already familiar with these actors and genuinely think they&#39;ll be best for the guest role, or is there a deliberate effort to give them some work as a consolation for losing the main gig?Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56052634264362727082017-03-09T14:33:15.239-08:002017-03-09T14:33:15.239-08:00Agree with Glenn, Kevin Spacey was miscast in Supe...Agree with Glenn, Kevin Spacey was miscast in Superman Returns. I think that Kevin Spacey is a terrible actor, you can see the cogs turning when he acts. I&#39;ve never believed a single performance of his. Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01047175713708724344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12189338333806403692017-03-09T14:21:05.890-08:002017-03-09T14:21:05.890-08:00There was an attempted Americanization of the scif...There was an attempted Americanization of the scifi comedy &quot;Red Dwarf&quot;. The British creator noted that the network cast a handsome actor as the hapless central character. He could accept the actor, but was upset that the network wouldn&#39;t let him rewrite to script for a better fit. Jane Leeves, by the way, played a deadpan computer interface.<br /><br />And of course the &quot;Cheers&quot; legend is that John Ratzenberger came in to read for Norm, realized he wasn&#39;t going to get it, and successfully pitched a new character -- the inevitable bar knowitall -- for himself.Donald Bensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10149186940094621512017-03-09T14:16:11.782-08:002017-03-09T14:16:11.782-08:00Few people remember it or think about it if they d...Few people remember it or think about it if they do, but one of the greatest casting decisions in TV history was the four stars of The Beverly Hillbillies. For nearly a decade they remained in character for what must have been very difficult dialogue and accents.<br />In less demanding roles, Raymond Bailey and Nancy Culp were very good at least until later on but the four mains were superb.<br />So natural you never thought twice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59504506067971615792017-03-09T12:19:41.370-08:002017-03-09T12:19:41.370-08:00Ken, here&#39;s a Friday (or Thursday) question: I...Ken, here&#39;s a Friday (or Thursday) question: I can&#39;t recall ever watching a TV show or movie and thinking that someone was truly a &quot;bad actor.&quot; To me, they all seem believable and very natural. The only bad acting I&#39;ve ever picked up on is when a non-actor, such as a professional athlete, does a walk-on part. Then it&#39;s usually pretty obvious they&#39;re speaking in a stilted manner.<br /><br />It would be great if you would &quot;name names&quot; as to which professionals you consider to be bad actors. But I doubt that you&#39;ll do that. Instead, can you explain what some of the traits or habits are of a bad actor, which tip it for you? I&#39;d like to watch for those in the future!Garynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88844622283677751852017-03-09T12:11:06.803-08:002017-03-09T12:11:06.803-08:00Maybe this thread can become a list of &quot;worst...Maybe this thread can become a list of &quot;worst casting&quot; for TV or movies.<br />Can&#39;t think of any TV ones off the top of my head.<br />Movies that quickly come to mind:<br />Glory - Matthew Broderick<br />Kevin Costner - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves<br />Sofia Coppola - Godfather III<br /><br />Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85381926037120885602017-03-09T10:49:34.068-08:002017-03-09T10:49:34.068-08:00Greatest casting ever? David Hyde Pierce teamed w...Greatest casting ever? David Hyde Pierce teamed with Kelsey Grammer as the Crane Brothers. I still believe they are related.Charles Cavenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01367750770904909672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44071408260821448982017-03-09T10:46:04.644-08:002017-03-09T10:46:04.644-08:00estiv is right, and it occasionally happens on TV....estiv is right, and it occasionally happens on TV. Beth Broderick initially was cast as the man-hungry Aunt Hilda on &quot;Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,&quot; but decided to play the more sober, brainy Aunt Zelda character -- a departure from her earlier, flirty roles -- and Caroline Rhea got the Hilda role. It paid off for both in years of residuals. VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72178346014927248822017-03-09T09:33:59.917-08:002017-03-09T09:33:59.917-08:00Mike Barer, apparently for Golden Girls Betty Whit...Mike Barer, apparently for Golden Girls Betty White was offered what became Rue McLanahan&#39;s part, but asked to switch roles just to avoid playing a part too much like Sue Ann Nivens. She had to ask for the chance to show her versatility.estivhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12736355730705116526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84944068492153152962017-03-09T09:05:14.904-08:002017-03-09T09:05:14.904-08:00&gt;&gt;I don’t buy the notion that you should exc...&gt;&gt;I don’t buy the notion that you should excuse an actor for being nervous. If he’s nervous now imagine how he’ll be in front of a camera or camera and studio audience.&gt;&gt;<br /><br />I&#39;ve seen numerous people for whom there is a vast difference between nervousness over getting a job and nervousness about *doing* the job. <br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55594972684586454212017-03-09T09:04:27.993-08:002017-03-09T09:04:27.993-08:00Ken, Friday question for you. Have you been watch...Ken, Friday question for you. Have you been watching This is Us? If so, I wonder what your opinion is, especially in terms of a second season. While the show can certainly border trite at times I have really enjoyed it and have been sucked in by the characters. However, as the season 1 arcs are closing I am starting to doubt they could pull of that same kind of thing next season. Did the show peak already?Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9418254837216509782017-03-09T08:22:09.806-08:002017-03-09T08:22:09.806-08:00Friday Question: I&#39;m currently enjoying Katey ...Friday Question: I&#39;m currently enjoying Katey Sagal&#39;s supporting turn in &quot;Superior Donuts.&quot; It struck me that she&#39;s been in quite a lot of shows (though I&#39;m sure you can say the same for many actors). How do actors -- and, of course, those behind the camera such as yourself -- deal with getting chemistry going with an ensemble for several seasons, only to have to shut down and start over when a series is cancelled?Steve Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07460010481523481647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71063904301692959182017-03-09T07:56:21.949-08:002017-03-09T07:56:21.949-08:00I agree with Peter about Kate Bosworth in Superman...I agree with Peter about Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns but I have to add Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor to that list. Great actor, but for me, but he totally missed the mark on this one.Glennnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72520443220626724042017-03-09T07:40:26.987-08:002017-03-09T07:40:26.987-08:00When I think of casting, I think of the divergent ...When I think of casting, I think of the divergent characters that Betty White played in TV comedies. She was the man hungry hussy on Mary Tyler Moore, than the prudish senior on the Golden Girls. I think it really spoke to her versatility as an actor. Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17000124268453943492017-03-09T07:30:55.005-08:002017-03-09T07:30:55.005-08:00At the time you cast Katey Sagal (some two years p...At the time you cast Katey Sagal (some two years pre-Peg Bundy), she was probably better known in the industry as being related to the twins from Iowa on a short-lived NBC sitcom from 1984.<br /><br />And were you <i>really</i> in a bowling league, or was that simply a figure of speech? When I lived in Washington in the early &#39;80s, I was in a league, and one of the others in it were Jody Powell, Jimmy Carter&#39;s former press secretary, and his wife. Good people.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74477477357952687492017-03-09T06:58:23.450-08:002017-03-09T06:58:23.450-08:00Sure you&#39;re being fair to your bowling buddies...Sure you&#39;re being fair to your bowling buddies, Ken?VincentSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68873103836949566972017-03-09T06:43:15.270-08:002017-03-09T06:43:15.270-08:00Ken, a couple of Friday questions.
1. Why doesn&#...Ken, a couple of Friday questions.<br /><br />1. Why doesn&#39;t a flailing network like NBC or Fox hire proven showrunners like the Charles Brothers or a somebody with some drama successes to greenlight its program schedule, rather than &quot;execs&quot;?<br /><br />2. I&#39;ve stocked up on protein shakes and Gatorade and now am 2/3 through Powerhouse (the CAA book). Did you post a review?Bill in Torontonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33563878758449065742017-03-09T06:37:04.671-08:002017-03-09T06:37:04.671-08:00One of the worst casting decisions EVER was Kate B...One of the worst casting decisions EVER was Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane in Superman Returns. Granted, it wasn&#39;t a great movie, but her Lois was really cold, unlikeable and unpleasant.<br /><br />Nothing against Bosworth. She&#39;s a terrific actress, but was totally miscast.Peternoreply@blogger.com